BEIJING – Tibet's Communist Party chief has reiterated a demand that Buddhist monasteries display the national flag as part of efforts to shore up Chinese control over the restive region.

Chen Quanguo writes in an editorial appearing in state newspapers that national flags should be among the elements found in monasteries. Those also include newspapers, television, telephones and water and electrical services.

Demands to display Chinese flags have frequently sparked protests by Tibetans who complain of heavy-handed Chinese rule. Tibetan monks and nuns are among the most active opponents of Chinese rule in the region and face some of the harshest restrictions on their activities.

Chen's demand was contained in a lengthy editorial that first appeared in the party flagship People's Daily and was reprinted in other papers on Thursday.